Fox Searchlight, the branch of 20th Century Fox partial to independent
films, is gradually becoming one of the more consistently successful
(both commercially and critically) studios after a banner year in 2006.
Founded in 1994, the studio eventually had a major success with “The
Full Monty” (1997), which was nominated for Best Picture and Best
Director at the 1998 Academy Awards. Although failing to win either of
said prizes, “The Full Monty” was met with otherwise favorable notices.
Fox Searchlight’s next successes came much later, and once again, were
British imports. Both “Bend it Like Beckham” (2002) and “28 Days Later”
(2002) had strong runs at the box office, while the latter stood out on
several critics’ year-end lists. After the surprise hit “Napoleon
Dynamite” (2004), which generated an astonishing profit, momentum
shifted to Alexander Payne’s “Sideways” (2004), which picked up
exceptional notices in several critical circles and was a forerunner in
the Oscar race. In 2006, Fox Searchlight changed pace, releasing their
first non-English-language film, “Water.” 2006 also marks another
opportunity for the studio to pick up several awards at the Oscars with
their comedy “Little Miss Sunshine” -- a film that has a good a chance
as any to pick up the elusive Best Picture award.

“Little Miss Sunshine” premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival,
where it became an outright audience favorite. Directed by music video
veterans Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, the film is equipped with a
pleasant blend of wry comedy and touching drama set to the dynamics of a
dysfunctional family who embark on a road trip to California. On the
surface, their journey bears typical genre archetypes complete with
self-discovery and bonding, but the nuances that the talented actors
bring to their respective characters provide the film with warmth and
meaning.

In an impressive opening sequence consisting of a series of brief
vignettes, the Hoover family is introduced as more than just the typical
American family. Seven-year-old Olive (Abigail Breslin) stares awestruck
at her family’s big screen television watching and emulating the
reaction of a beauty pageant winner, her father (Greg Kinear) lectures
on a self-help program to a sparse audience, her uncle (Steve Carell) is
recovering from an attempted suicide, her grandfather (Alan Arkin)
struggles with his cocaine addiction, her brother (Paul Dano) tirelessly
exercises and maintains a vow of silence, and her mother (Toni Collette)
battles to sustain unity in her family. Afterwards, the Hoover family
assembles for a dinner consisting of fast food and inevitable bickering.
The introduction to these characters is essential in setting the tone
for the remainder of the film, and the directors’ effective approach
reminds me of the similarly-toned Wes Anderson film “The Royal
Tenenbaums” (2001). Anderson, keen on film history, was inspired by
Orson Welles’ “The Magnificent Ambersons” (1942), but both his film and
“Little Miss Sunshine” share themes of failure and longing for
acceptance. More importantly, both films arrive at conclusions that
embrace individuality.

Admittedly, the vast array of excessive characterizations sound slightly
contrived on paper, but the actors lend a fine sense of sincerity and
naiveté to aid in the believability of potentially artificial scenes.
The ensemble cast is adept at playing their roles straight without
forcing the jokes. The humor is often subtle and found within the
actors’ body language. Arkin clearly lightens the mood of the film with
his character’s outspokenness on everything and anything. His work is
starkly contrasted with Carell’s physical comedy and sarcasm. Aside from
the humor, the creation of family is easily the ensemble cast’s greatest
accomplishment. Directors Dayton and Faris have clearly integrated their
own experiences to coincide with writer Michael Arndt’s cynical, but
touching, slice of Americana.

It’s difficult to say whether Arndt set out to demonize beauty pageantry
or whether the ending is a consequence of presenting a presumably honest
perspective. Regardless, there’s a bitter skepticism cast over the final
sequence that’s disguised by, arguably, the only instance of outrageous
humor. Whether this skepticism resonates or the laughter presides will
determine one’s lasting perspective on the film. I was left comfortably
lingering between the two in a state of pure bliss, which is a welcome
experience in present day’s sparse catalog of enjoyable American comedy.

• On the Road with the Hoovers: the Making of Little Miss
Sunshine (18:30)

• We're Gonna Make It - A Session with Mychael Danna and DeVotchKa (2:52)

• Who Are The Hoovers (17:15)

• No One Gets Left Behind - the Music of Little Miss Sunshine
(10:13)

• Webisodes (25:29)

• Poster Gallery (4 in slideshow)• Music Video for DeVotchKa’s “Till the End of Time”

• Soundtrack Spot (:31)

Blu-ray Release Date:
February 3rd,
2009Standard Blu-ray Case

Chapters 24

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were ripped directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: - Fox Blu-ray
- February 09': It was such a pleasure seeing this fabulous film yet
again - possibly my 5th time - now in 1080P resolution. As the matched
screen captures will bear-out - everything is superior - colors more
true, tighter, detail sharper, and you can see some good grain in the
image now. There is also slightly more information in the frame on all
four sides. Technically this is a dual-layered disc with the feature
taking up over 30 Gig supported by a strong bitrate. The image
improvement is a very notable and welcome improvement.

Audio gets a bump to DTS-HD 5.1 Master which is only
really noticeable in the film's music score which includes Rick James "Super
Freak" and DeVotchKa's "Til the End of Time". Dialogue is
clear and crisp and there are no outstanding flaws.

Supplements appear to have the same commentaries and
alternate scenes plus the Blu-ray
has added a few nick-knacks here and there - the advertised Gag Reel
seems to consist of "Do You Wanna Talk" for less than 1.5 minutes
of one scene but enjoyable were On the Road with the Hoovers: the
Making of Little Miss Sunshine running close to 20 minutes and
Who Are The Hoovers for almost the same length of time. There is a
piece on the Mychael Danna and DeVotchKa's music of the film and a short
session with them, almost 30 minutes of Webisodes and finally 4 posters
in a slideshow. Very complete.

Little Miss Sunshine is a film I could watch at
any time - Kinnear, Arkin and Carell's characters always break me up. It
is funny, warm and very human. The Blu-ray is the best way to appreciate these qualities, in my
opinion. If you haven't seen this - it's an 'essential' although be
warned there is some very adult language at times. Overall this Blu-ray
is enthusiastically recommended!

Gary Tooze

***

ON THE DVD: Video:
Oddly enough, Fox has decided to include both widescreen (with a
2:37:1 aspect ratio and anamorphic video) and full screen
versions of the film on a flipper disc. For such a recent film,
it’s not unreasonable to expect a crisp, detailed transfer with
vivid colors and sufficient contrast. Fox delivers on all
accounts. I’ve read some reviewers claim to have seen instances
of grain. If anything, such instances are extremely rare and
only evident in outdoor long-shots. Of course, the archival
beauty pageant footage in the opening scene is pixilated, but
the effect is clearly desired. Fox’s presentation is otherwise
impeccable.

Audio: Two principle tracks are provided with this release. There is an
English Dolby Digital 5.1 track and an optional Spanish Dolby
Digital 3.1 track. With a soundtrack that embraces the
independent roots of the film, the music is well-defined and
absent of any problems. With the exception of Olive’s
celebratory scream featured in the theatrical trailer, I’d be
hard pressed to find an instance that challenges the expressive
5.1 track.

Extras:
Perhaps the most important answer potential buyers are looking
for is whether there’s the chance there will be a “double dip”
sometime in the near future. It’s very difficult to say and
dependent on how successful “Little Miss Sunshine” is during the
upcoming awards season. Until then, we’ll have to make do with a
couple of enlightening and enjoyable commentary tracks and
several minutes worth of “alternate endings.” The directors’
track is quite personal as the couple explains the difficulty
faced in trying to get the movie financed and the six years they
devoted to it. Several amusing anecdotes are also shared with
insights behind the direction of various scenes. After taking
into consideration the amount of time and effort the directions
put into their feature film debut, it’s fortunate that the
potentially disastrous “alternate” endings were scrapped --
particularly one which places the family at a picnic table that
reeks of sappiness. The disc is rounded out with a music video
for DeVotchKa’s “Till the End of Time.”